Smooth rebirth for Melbourne radio station

Henrietta Cook

In a bid to capture a bigger and more devoted audience, Melbourne radio station 91.5 FM is reportedly relaunching as Smooth 91.5 — its fourth name in less than seven years.

Formally known as Vega, Classic Rock, and Melbourne's 91.5, the station's latest incarnation was revealed at noon on radio news website Radio Today. DMG Radio made about half of its Melbourne newsroom redundant on Tuesday in preparation for the launch, according to Radio Today.

But management has not yet made an official announcement to staff about the changes.

The new "smooth" brand is believed to be similar to the station's current format, which targets 40 to 54-year-old females and plays easy-listening 1980s music.

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DMG Australia is also expected to announce the relaunch of Sydney's 95.3 FM as Smooth 95.3.

The domain names for the new stations have been registered in anticipation of the changes.

Media analyst Steve Allen, managing director of Fusion Strategy, said the relaunch of the station reflected a dissatisfaction with ratings.

"The brand has to stand for something and have a personality you want to identify with and join in," he said.

"It hasn't been successful enough. They have a valuable commodity called a licence, they are not that often dished out, and they have to turn this into a profitable venture."

However, the station recently experienced an increase in its audience share, rating 3.8 per cent in the second Neilson radio survey of this year, up from 2.9 per cent.

A DMG Australia spokeswoman said the station was not prepared to comment on "speculation in the media".